Ottilie, I do love the Fagles, but if you are a sucker for a more direct translation Latimer is the way to go! (my undergrad degree is in classics so I always prefer a more word-for-word translation, but the Fagles is so pretty). I also love Dante's Inferno (read a side-by-side italian-english translation and prepare to drool at the beauty of the language)

Virgil's Georgics are also nice, and Hesiod's Theogeny is entertaining and has tons of amazing name references!

On the subject of epic poetry, I would also recommend the Ramayana, Mabinogion, the Poetic Edda, the Kalevala, the Tain, and the Saga of the Volsungs

Ottilie, I do love the Fagles, but if you are a sucker for a more direct translation Latimer is the way to go! (my undergrad degree is in classics so I always prefer a more word-for-word translation, but the Fagles is so pretty). I also love Dante's Inferno (read a side-by-side italian-english translation and prepare to drool at the beauty of the language)

I've got a master degree in classics! I've read the Latimer one, but I prefer Fitz and Fagles by a mile. Much more poetic. The Latimer one (although more accurate) lacks the beauty of Fagles' translation. Poetry should be sheer beauty. (So while we're at it, if anyone's planning on reading Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus, choose the gorgeous translation by Martyn Crucefix.) I speak Italian, so I've been able to read The Divine Comedy in Italian... it's gorgeous.